(TibetanReview.net, Apr18, 2018) – China appears to believe that sperms from politically correct donors will yield loyal communist party subjects. A major sperm bank in Beijing has told prospective donors that they, while fulfilling the usual conditions about the quality of their sperm, must be loyal to the Communist Party, reported the SCMP.com Apr 6.

The report said that the Third Hospital of Peking University had launched a sperm donation campaign from Apr 4 to run until May 23, and had listed a series of requirements for the donors on its social media account. These are that in addition to being in good health, the donors must have “favourable political qualities”.

“[The donors must] love the socialist motherland and embrace the leadership of the Communist Party,” the hospital was quoted as saying in its notice inviting donors for its sperm bank.

“[He must] be loyal to the party’s tasks, be decent, law-abiding and be free of any political problems.”

And the reward? Those who pass the prescribed two-round tests will be paid 200 yuan (US$32) immediately. And those who successfully donate will be rewarded with 5,500 yuan, the notice was cited as saying.

However, there appeared to be no test to determine the tricky issue of the donors’ political reliability. A doctor on the hospital consultation hotline was cited as saying no additional tests would be conducted for political requirements.

“It would be fine as long as you consider yourself suitable,” the doctor was quoted as saying.

This indicates that the purpose is to discourage known political dissidents as well as human rights, environmental and other activists persecuted or otherwise disapproved of by the Chinese government from donating to the sperm back.

The report cited a 2016 Beijing Youth Daily report as saying the demand for donated sperm had surged after Beijing relaxed its grip on the country’s one-child policy in 2015, allowing two children in most families.

It said families applying for IVF treatment could wait more than a year, partly due to a shortage of suitable donors.